What else should I show you. 'Captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is on the cutting board again.
On the 30th (Korea time), the British Hotspur HQ reported that Son Heung-min was having difficulty scoring at the beginning of the season. He then had several good chances against AS Roma, but lost his composure at a critical moment. Son Heung-min's goal-scoring ability is still at a level, but this season is far from his prime as he recovers slowly after the injury.
Tottenham drew 2-2 in the fifth Europa League phase of the 2024-2025 season against AS Roma at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 29th. Tottenham had 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the Europa League due to the draw. He failed to continue his 4-0 victory over Manchester City in the last league game. On the other hand, Roma, who revived with a dramatic goal in the last minute, continued their hopes of advancing to the next round with one win, three draws and one loss.
Son Heung-min started on the left wing and played for 77 minutes. Initially, there were predictions that he would not play in the game to focus on the league, but manager Enze Postecoglou included Son Heung-min in the starting list. Son Heung-min scored the first goal five minutes into the first half. He scored a penalty kick. It was his fourth goal of the season in 41 days. Son Heung-min scored a goal five games after returning from a hamstring injury. 8th Europa League goal in his career. It has been more than two years since the European Champions League match against Frankfurt in October 2022.
Son Heung-min recorded three shots, two effective shots, two key passes, two dribbles and an 81% pass success rate on the day. Huscoard gave it a rating of 7.4, the second highest after Brennan Johnson (7.6). Footmob gave the highest rating of 8.2 points. The sofa score also scored 7.7, the highest. It meant that he performed the most outstanding performance at Tottenham on this day.
In fact, Son Heung-min was busy going back and forth between offense and defense on the day and showed a wide range of performances. Son Heung-min, who is improving his playmaking ability, continued to spray sharp passes on the same day. I created a good opportunity for my colleagues. The only scene that was disappointing was when his teammates' shots came out in the 36th and 40th minutes of the first half, but all of them did not lead to a goal.
Football London, which makes qualitative assessments, also pointed out this. Football London's rating was poor. It was only six points. Football London scored a penalty on the other side of the goalkeeper at the beginning. However, after Dejan Kulusevski hit the post, Son Heung-min's shot was a little loose. Sometimes it was threatening, but the rhythm was not perfect.
Despite his good performance, one miss became a problem. Dejan Kulusevski's shot hit the post in the 35th minute of the first half when he was leading 2-1. The ball flowed to Son Heung-min in front of the goal, and he finished it with a right foot shot. But it went over the net. It was a chance that he was very disappointed in.
Paul Robinson, a commentator for England 'BBC', who used to be a goalkeeper for Tottenham, said "This is a huge mistake by Son Heung-min. He sent the ball over the net from a distance of only six meters. I don't know how I can miss such a good chance. I can't believe a player like Son Heung-min missed this chance."
Football fancast'Son Heung-min scored a penalty against Rome, but he was painfully sluggish for most of the game.'Inaccurate shooting and pass selection mistakes were noticeable. Tottenham fans are expecting more from Son Heung-min as leader.
Questions related to Son Heung-min's poor scoring ability were also raised at the post-match press conference. Son has only scored four goals in 13 games this season. Coach Enze Postecoglou said, `I don't know if he lacks confidence. Son Heung-min had a chaotic year. He had a good chance to score. He's a player who can take those opportunities, and he's been consistently decisive for 10 years"But now he is suffering from injury. Now it's coming back to full physical condition. That's the most important thing for us."
In particular, harsh evaluations of Son Heung-min have continued this season. Son Heung-min has suffered from bad criticism since the first game. After the Leicester City match, England Football London gave Son a rating of only five points. Football London had bright moments, sending a cross to Solanke at the beginning, but not enough as captain. He evaluated that it disappeared as the game progressed. 90 min gave a rating of 6 and criticized 'I missed some golden chances with a clumsy touch'
Since then, the assessment has been harsher. Articles with critical tones poured out against Son Heung-min as if determined. Football365 said 'What surprised us the most was the other starter in Tottenham's attacking trio. Son's career is not on an upward trajectory. He was a great player at Tottenham, but I think he needs a past tense. Then 'Son Heung-min is no longer considered irreplaceable. That has to change. Son Heung-min is one of several options. He no longer deserves a starting position against every opponent in every situation. There are no questions raised here,' he said, drawing harsh criticism.
 |
| 사진=Action Images via Reuters-REUTER Yonhap News |
|
Football365 said 'It's not just because Son Heung-min didn't do well in the opening game. Son Heung-min scored 17 goals last season, but almost half of them came in the first 10 games. At this time, Tottenham was playing a fantastic game as if they were going to win. Son has scored just five goals in 15 matches since the Asian Cup. He has scored two goals and two assists in his last 10 Premier League games, 'Football changes quickly. A week ago, a crazy person would say that we should exclude Son Heung-min and put Wilson O'Dowbert. But I can't deny it now. We have to push ahead. I must admit it.
Another media outlet 'HITC' started to hit Son Heung-min through the mouth of Craig Burley from the Scotland national team and Chelsea. Burley"Tottenham found Leicester too easy. I got that feeling in the pass and finish. The offense, including Son Heung-min and Madison, did. He seemed to think he could never lose. I looked down on my opponent and let my guard down. This is what big clubs do." Then "Tottenham's attitude was the arrogance of "An additional goal will be scored " If there is a wrong pass, one of the players should say 'It's not enough, so you have to try harder' I was embarrassed."
On top of that, Jamie O'Hara, a Tottenham native who is now a broadcaster, also criticized Son Heung-min. "Son Heung-min did not perform well enough in the second half," O'Hara said. It was disappointing. We had to finish the opponent in the first half"Son Heung-min should have been taken out in the first half."," he stressed.It is regrettable that it is not broken.
Son Heung-min was not swayed by this evaluation, and changed the question mark to an exclamation point with a multi-goal in the match against Everton. Since then, he has been suffering from repeated injuries, but Son Heung-min is contributing to the team with a different style of play than before. It has an overwhelming key pass. Of course, what Tottenham fans expect from Son Heung-min is a goal. Son Heung-min once again put to rest bad public opinion with a fantastic score and fantastic play in his return match against West Ham. It is a criticism that Son Heung-min will disappear naturally if he runs the scoring once again, but he cannot erase his particularly excessive feeling this season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
